Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Care Bear Party, part 1

Hello!

Today's post is kind of a sneak peak of the Care Bear party, because I am only showing off some of the rainbow decorations I made. I wanted to do this post first because I really think the decorations are beautiful and perfect for St. Patrick's Day (in fact, we still have ours up!)

For all my parties I try to think of creative ways to make a big impact on a small budget. The projects I am showing you today were made with some of the CHEAPEST items: scrapbook paper and crepe paper! Half the time I have this stuff on hand just lying around; if not I cut myself a coupon and head to the nearest craft store :) For this party, everything was centered around clouds and, of course, rainbows. The colors used could always be swapped out to match your theme, however :) But, I have to say, seeing all these bright colors sure have put a smile on my face!

The first project I made were the streamer "wind socks". I have done this project for a lot of the parties I have thrown, because it so super easy and super cheap. My plan had been to have them hanging outside near the front door, however, it was much too windy during our party to do so. So, inside they went (and still are!)

Things you will need are:

Crepe paper (I keep a drawer full of just about every color so I always have it on hand)

Yarn, or some kind of sturdy string

Tape

Something for the circular base. I used a metal wreath thing I bought a few years back. Anything circular could be used, however as long as it is sturdy.

***Also, you could totally switch out the crepe paper for ribbon. This would instantly make it look more expensive and probably last awhile longer. If I was using ribbon, I would suggest hot gluing it onto the base instead of tape***

First, I tied 3 pieces of yarn equal distances away from each other on the base, and then tied them all together, making sure that when it hung it was even and not slanted.

Next, I cut out a long piece of crepe paper (twice as long as you want it to hang), and placed it over the metal, so it hung equally from both sides. I did the same with the next color, and then taped the two to the base with one slice of tape.

Repeat until you are there is no space left. I kept our color pattern the same as all the rainbows I used throughout the party: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

In the past, I have been strict about having all the streamers the same length, but I really love how these are staggared at different lengths; it gives it this beautiful, messy look.

Simple, but beautiful, right??

The next three projects were all created using the same technique and all used cardstock paper.

Although I sewed all these together using a sewing machine, you could tape it instead. That is what I used to do before my sewing machine came into my life. However, sewing it is SO much easier and really makes it look so much better (and if you take care of it, you could reuse it for another party!), there is no way I would ever go back!

First, cut you paper into strips. Mine are about 1". Also, I used 12 x 12 paper, however in the past I have used standard 8.5 x 11, and it comes out just as great. Repeat with each color. I used 1 sheet of each color (6 colors), and it was enough for the two garlands I made.

Next, cut out your heart shapes (or any shapes you want!)

I used my Cricut machine because it really made it much easier to cut out the gazzilion hearts I wanted to cut. However, you could always use a punch or even do it by hand. If you do free hand it, consider using felt... I have seen a bunch of tutorials out this using felt, and it just looks amazing.

This project evolved from seeing all this paper I had left over from my cut outs. I kept thinking how beautiful it would look hanging up and all the beautiful shadows it could cast on the walls.

Next, create a little production line and run all your pieces through a sewing machine. I was lazy this time, and didn't bother changing my thread to match each color, so everything is sewn with the yellow that was already in there :) For the paper strips, I just sewed right down the middle. For the hearts, I did it just above the center, that way the top wouldn't be to heavy and flip over when I went to go hang it up. For the paper strips, since they are hung vertically, it is best to weigh them down a little with a bead or something. Also, make sure you leave plenty of thread in the beginning to hang your garlands from!

I didn't show the other garland (the one where we took our heart shapes from), because I just taped string onto those and hung them.

I have done these before, and everytime I am shocked by how much impact they provide!!

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About Me

Hi! Welcome! I'm Rachel, creator and designer behind Nestling Designs. I believe that life is just more fun with pretty things in it. I'm a designer, party planner, DIYer, and mommy. This blog is about what I do at home when I'm not working. Follow along as I tackle one project at a time in hopes that you find a little inspiration along the way!